Power management for vehicle-mounted base station

ABSTRACT

A base station for providing dynamic power management is disclosed, comprising, a processor within an enclosure mounted in a vehicle, a power management unit coupled to the processor, a controller area network (CAN) bus monitoring system coupled to the power management unit and to a CAN bus of the vehicle, a voltage measurement module also coupled to the power management unit and to a battery of the vehicle; a baseband processor coupled to the processor, a first wireless access functionality coupled to the baseband processor, and a second wireless access functionality coupled to the baseband processor, wherein the power management unit is coupled to each of the first and the second wireless access functionality to enable access radio bringup, access radio shutdown, and graceful user detach based on a power state at the power management unit.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e)of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/140,401, filed on Mar. 30,2015 and entitled “Power Management for Vehicle-Mounted Base Station,”which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for allpurposes. The present application also hereby incorporates by referenceU.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/311,829, “Methods of Incorporatingan Ad Hoc Cellular Network into a Fixed Cellular Network,” filed Jun.23, 2014; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/311,835, “Methods ofIncorporating an Ad Hoc Cellular Network into a Fixed Cellular Network,”filed Jun. 23, 2014; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/998,508,“Methods of Incorporating an Ad Hoc Cellular Network into a FixedCellular Network,” filed Jan. 5, 2016; U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/453,365, “Systems and Methods for Providing LTE-Based Backhaul,”filed Aug. 6, 2014; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/454,670,“Multi-RAT Node Used for Search and Rescue,” filed Aug. 7, 2014; U.S.patent application Ser. No. 14/864,194, “Radio Operation Switch Based onGPS Mobility Data,” filed Sep. 24, 2015; U.S. patent application Ser.No. 14/946,749, “Enhanced Mobile Base Station,” filed Nov. 19, 2015;U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/868,074, “Enabling High-Power UETransmission,” filed Sep. 28, 2015; and U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/923,392, “Out-of-Band

BACKGROUND

It is well-known to use the current ignition state of a vehicle to powercomponents in the vehicle on and off. For example, when a driver turnsthe key in the ignition, the electrical system of the vehicle attemptsto send power to the ignition system (spark plug, starter), and once theengine has been started, the electrical system then sends power tocomponents of the vehicle that use electricity, such as the airconditioner, the radio, lights, locks, etc. However, when providing amobile base station in a vehicle, it is desirable to have greaterintelligence in providing electrical power to the vehicle-mounted basestation.

Vehicles typically provide central controller systems that monitor powerloads, power current, voltage monitoring, and other power managementfunctions. For example, the Texas Instruments TMS470 ARM Cortex-M SafetyMCU provides connectivity to such functions and also to one or morecontroller area network (CAN) buses. Central controllers also providemonitoring of load and demand among distributed loads. The loadmonitoring system may provide monitoring of system power loads, whichmay be a direct battery connection. In some embodiments, the loadmonitoring system may be enabled to turn off nonessential systems, suchas seat warmers/heaters and cigarette lighters, to reduce electricalload in certain situations.

SUMMARY

Systems and embodiments are disclosed for power management in avehicle-mounted base station. The base station may be a small cell basestation, a Wi-Fi base station, a Long Term Evolution (LTE) eNodeB, aUniversal Mobile Telephone System (UMTS) nodeB, a converged wirelesssystem supporting more than one air interface, or another base station.Such a base station is described in U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/183,176, entitled “Methods of incorporating an ad hoc cellularnetwork into a fixed cellular network,” hereby incorporated herein inits entirety for all purposes. Power management is used herein to meanboth electrical power management, and in some cases, radio powermanagement.

In one embodiment, a base station for providing dynamic power managementis disclosed, comprising: a processor within an enclosure mounted in avehicle; a power management unit coupled to the processor; a controllerarea network (CAN) bus monitoring system coupled to the power managementunit and to a CAN bus of the vehicle; a voltage measurement module alsocoupled to the power management unit and to a battery of the vehicle; abaseband processor coupled to the processor; a first wireless accessfunctionality coupled to the baseband processor; and a second wirelessaccess functionality coupled to the baseband processor, wherein thepower management unit is coupled to each of the first and the secondwireless access functionality to enable access radio bringup, accessradio shutdown, and graceful user detach based on a power state at thepower management unit.

The voltage measurement module may be coupled to both of an always-onpower circuit of the vehicle and an ignition power circuit of thevehicle simultaneously. The power management unit may further comprise atimer for providing power to at least one of the Wi-Fi and base stationfunctionalities after an ignition is turned off, thereby providingrunlock functionality. The power management unit may further compriseinstructions that, when executed on the processor, cause the powermanagement unit to be in one of: a first ignition off state reflectingan accessory electrical mode of the vehicle, an ignition on statereflecting an ignition on electrical mode of the vehicle. The powermanagement unit may further comprise instructions that, when executed onthe processor, cause the power management unit to be in one of a secondignition off state reflecting greater than a set period of inactivity inthe first ignition off state, a cranking state reflecting engagement ofa starter of the vehicle, and a shore power state.

The base station may provide Wi-Fi and Long Term Evolution (LTE) accessfunctionalities. The base station may utilize direct current (DC) power,or may utilize alternating current (AC) power, and further comprises aninverter coupled to the battery of the vehicle, the inverter configuredto return to a powered-on state after a transient fault without manualintervention. The base station may further comprise a button located ona dashboard of the vehicle configured to turn the base station on whenpressed. The base station may further comprise a global positioningsystem (GPS) module and a geofencing module coupled to the GPS moduleand the processor, the geofencing module being coupled to the powermanagement module, the geofencing module being for determining whether agiven radio access technology should be activated or deactivated basedon a location received from the GPS module, the GPS module being coupledto a GPS antenna mounted exterior to the vehicle. The power managementunit may further comprise a detector for determining whether shore poweris being provided and for instructing the power management unit tochange its power management state. The power management unit may beconfigured to use always-on circuit power to maintain an approximatetemperature of a temperature-controlled chamber of a crystal oscillatorin the base station. The first and the second wireless accessfunctionalities can be coupled to radio antennas exterior to thevehicle. The CAN bus monitoring system is coupled to the base stationvia a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port and to the CAN bus of the vehiclevia an on-board diagnostic (ODB) port of the vehicle.

In another embodiment, a method for dynamic power management of anin-vehicle base station is disclosed, comprising: monitoring a vehiclecontroller area network (CAN) bus of a vehicle for power-relatedmessages; monitoring a positioning sensor to determine a location of thevehicle; monitoring a voltage of an electrical circuit in the vehicle todetermine a power management state; and conducting an orderly shutdownof radio frequency services based on the power-related messages, thelocation of the vehicle, and the power management state. The radiofrequency services may further comprise a Wi-Fi access network and aLong Term Evolution (LTE) access network, and wherein the positioningsensor is a global positioning system (GPS) positioning sensor. Theorderly shutdown may further comprise detaching users, handing usersover to another base station, or updating a routing configuration of amesh network.

In another embodiment, a method for bringup of an in-vehicle basestation is disclosed, comprising: powering on a base station in avehicle; identifying a power management state of the vehicle; searchingfor mesh nodes to provide a connection for the base station; activatinga Long Term Evolution (LTE) user equipment (UE) coupled to the basestation; attempting to connect to an LTE network using the LTE UE;applying a configuration from a mesh node, an LTE network, or a radiofrequency environment discovered by the UE; and based on the appliedconfiguration and based on the power management state of the vehicle,determining whether to activate a radio frequency access network. Theradio frequency access network may be an LTE access network or a Wi-Fiaccess network.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a mesh network of vehicle-mounted basestations, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram of electrical connections for avehicle-mounted base station, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 3 is a voltage plot over time of a voltage in a vehicle electricalcircuit, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 4 is a state diagram of power management states in a powermanagement unit for a vehicle-mounted base station, in accordance withsome embodiments.

FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram of a controller area network (CAN) bus in avehicle, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a method for handling changes to a vehiclepower state, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a method for activating a vehicle-mounted basestation, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a vehicle-mounted base station (orin-vehicle base station), in accordance with some embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An explanation of voltage in a typical vehicle follows. In a vehicle, anelectrical circuit is formed by an electrical connection between thepositive terminal of a battery and the negative terminal. The negativeterminal is connected to the chassis of the car, which for purposes ofthe electronics in the car serves as the ground. The positive terminalof the battery is connected to the load. All load devices are connectedto the chassis of the vehicle, thereby completing the circuit. Thesecircuits are direct current (DC). Three main circuits can be understoodto be present in a vehicle: an ignition circuit, operated by key or morerecently by push-button, which connects to the starter and to theengine; an accessory circuit, which is also controlled by the car key orpush button and powers a variety of equipment that is available when theengine is not running; and an always-on circuit that powers certainequipment even when the engine or push button is not in an on position.Examples of equipment connected to the accessory circuit include: carheater and car radio. Examples of equipment connected to the always-oncircuit include: cabin dome lights, brake lights, and other lights. Ifequipment connected to the always-on circuit is not turned off, thebattery may be drained and the car may need to be jump-started.Different vehicles may have equipment connected to different circuits.

Emergency vehicles have greater electrical needs than consumer vehicles.In most cases, police cars and other such vehicles are able to meettheir electrical needs using larger-capacity batteries. In some cases,such as for certain fire engines, the voltage of the vehicle is higherto power its equipment, e.g., 24 V instead of 12 V. However, the typicalpattern of load in emergency vehicles is similar to that found inconsumer vehicles. Police lights, police radios, and other equipment maybe connected to either the ignition circuit or the accessory circuit, asthese types of equipment draw significant power and are not required tobe on while the operator is not in the car. In operation, policeofficers tend to run their engines to power their equipment in mostcases. One special case is when an officer stops and exits the car, anddoes not desire the ignition to be on (so as to prevent another personfrom stealing the car). The officer may still need to use, for example,lights, cameras, and radios during a police stop. A timer is ofteninstalled in police vehicles to enable specified equipment to continueto operate after the ignition is turned off; this is often called a“run-lock” or “runlock” system.

In some embodiments as described herein, an in-vehicle base station isdescribed. The in-vehicle base station is installed as electricalequipment in a vehicle such as described above, and is intended toprovide base station functionality, so that an emergency responder mayhave cellular coverage at all times, including in areas where ordinarycell service is not available, or where coverage is weak. A “CWS,” orParallel Wireless Converged Wireless System, is such an in-vehicle basestation, and provides either Long-Term Evolution (LTE)/4G, UMTS/3G,Wi-Fi, or some combination of coverage thereof. An in-vehicle basestation such as the CWS may also provide land mobile radio (LMR)support, including bridging or interworking of LMR, P25, or otherprotocols to industry-standard LTE and other protocols. In-vehicle basestations may also be designed to operate in conjunction with other basestations in a mesh configuration, and/or in conjunction with an existingcellular network for providing network connectivity back to a mobileoperator network and/or the public Internet (this connectivity is calledbackhaul connectivity, or simply backhaul). Where used herein, the wordsin-vehicle base station, vehicle-mounted base station, mobile basestation, base station not otherwise specified (except when clearlyintended to mean a conventional base station), CWS, etc. are intended tomean the same type of base station as described variously throughoutthis disclosure.

In some embodiments, an in-vehicle base station may require significantelectrical power in order to broadcast its signal. For example, a mobilebase station may use 5 W of power to broadcast a 0.25 W Wi-Fi accessradio signal; 5 W to broadcast a 0.5 W mesh network signal; 5 W tobroadcast a 0.5 W LTE backhaul signal; and 15-20 W to broadcast a 4 WLTE access signal. In the case where a single base station provides allof these functionalities, the total power draw may reach 30-40 W for theradio circuitry, with additional components contributing to the totalload. A typical mobile base station may thus use approximately 70 W ofpower at peak operating load. It is possible, however, for a mobile basestation to vary its electrical load based on what functionality isturned on.

The power needs of a mobile base station make a connection to theignition circuit desirable. The ignition circuit is desirable becausethe always-on circuit and accessory circuit both do not reap the benefitof the motor and alternator recharging the battery and allowing forgreater load. However, an always-on circuit connection may also be usedin conjunction, to provide continuous power to specialized componentssuch as volatile memory or oven-controlled crystal oscillators. If aconnection to the accessory circuit or always-on circuit is used forprimary power, greater battery power may be required, and indeed suchcircuitry may be available in vehicles with electric drive mode, hybriddrive mode, or other electric powertrain technology. Two-battery ormultiple battery scenarios are, of course, also possible, and a mobilebase station may be connected to a battery independent of the motorvehicle or may be connected to an independent battery in conjunctionwith the connection to the motor vehicle battery, with one batterypotentially being designated the primary battery.

When a mobile base station is connected to a vehicle electrical circuit,such as an ignition circuit or accessory circuit, the mobile basestation should be either capable of DC power, or should be equipped withan inverter to change DC power to AC power. An inverter in an AC powerconfiguration may be specified not to require a hard reset in case ofsurge or transient fault. This is because manual intervention to performa hard reset often detracts from the vehicle operator's primary duties,such as police duties or simply driving of the motor vehicle. This isalso because in some cases a mobile base station may not be installed ina location where a hard reset of the inverter or the base station isconveniently possible for the vehicle operator. For example, the mobilebase station may be installed in a vehicle trunk or in a locked closetor compartment in the vehicle.

A mobile base station may be required to be protected from surges andchanges in voltage. Automotive power supplies are designed to copespecifically with the voltage changes that arise when a vehicle isstarted; specifically, the starter motor of a car can drop the restingbattery voltage from 12 V down to 7 or 8 volts while drawing current tostart the car. An inverter or DC power supply for a mobile base stationmay be specified to compensate for these surges and voltage changes. Ifa base station is connected to an accessory circuit and it is desirablefor power to continue flowing to the base station during the vehiclestart process, the vehicle may be equipped with capacitors to providepower during the ignition voltage cutout, for vehicle ignition crankingtimes of approximately 20 seconds.

Basic power management for a mobile base station may include an on/offpower switch, in some embodiments. The switch may be a momentary-typeswitch with software control, such that a user may be able to turn thedevice on but may be overridden in software when attempting to turn thedevice off, if it is not desirable for various reasons. The switch maybe located on the device itself, or it may be located in the dash or inanother portion of the vehicle for more convenient operation by theoperator of the motor vehicle. The switch may be connected to the mobilebase station via various means. For example, the switch may be locatedon the CAN bus of the vehicle, with its own CAN bus microcontroller, andthe switch may send messages sent via the CAN bus module of the mobilebase station to turn the mobile base station on or off. Or, the switchmay be directly electrically connected to the base station via its ownbus or via a simple relay. Alternately, in some embodiments, a mobilebase station may use an app on an iPad or iPhone or other device pairedwirelessly, via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or another wireless means to controlpower. The wireless control protocol may be enabled using an electricalconnection to the always-on electrical circuit, so that the wirelessprotocol is available at all times.

Power management may also be facilitated by communicating with otherdevices in the vehicle via the vehicle CAN bus.

In some embodiments, a bus known as the CAN bus can be used in thevehicle. The CAN bus is a common low-speed serial bus used to allowvarious systems within a vehicle to communicate. The CAN bus is amessage-based protocol, and has been standardized under the CANSpecification 2.0 Part A and B, hereby incorporated by reference hereinin their entirety. Other in-vehicle buses may be used in place of theCAN bus, wherever the CAN bus is referred to below. The CAN bus isdesigned such that all devices on the bus are able to detect, viavariations in voltage on the bus, signals sent to any device on the bus.A mobile base station may have a CAN bus microprocessor allowing it todecode CAN bus signals, including signals intended for other componentsof the car, and use them for power control. The mobile base station mayuse a universal serial bus (USB) CAN bus adapter containing a CAN busmicrocontroller, in some embodiments, to interface with the CAN bus. Theelectrical input power connection may be monitored, in some embodiments,and its voltage may be used to determine the power state of the mobilevehicle, in lieu of or in combination with messages from a CAN bus.

In some embodiments, the mobile base station may be connected to the CANbus and may turn itself on or off, or may be turned on or off, based onthe state of the vehicular information bus. The bus may be a controllerarea network (CAN) bus protocol bus, a CAN-C bus, a CAN-IHS bus, aCAN-A/T bus, or another bus, such as an on-vehicle Ethernet network. Thebus may be another network, such as a local interconnect network (LIN)network. The base station may communicate with a vehicle systemsinterface module (VSIM) to determine bus information and/or communicateinformation to the VSIM. An engine control module (ECM) may also be onthe CAN bus and its ignition state may be monitored for variouspurposes, in some embodiments.

The CAN bus may use vehicle events to control the operation and/or powerstate of the vehicle-mounted base station. The opening of a door; theturning of a key in the ignition to turn the ignition on or off; thestate, powering on, and/or powering off of other devices in the car suchas the radio, internal or external lights, locks, audio, airconditioning, environmental heating, seat heaters, police radio, policecomputer, police/taxi interface module, police lights, dash camera,global positioning system (GPS), or other devices; the operation of analarm key fob; or other events may be vehicle events. Any or all ofthese events may be used for turning a mobile base station on or off.For example, a CAN bus may be used to determine, for some vehicles,whether a person is seated in the passenger seat or driver's seat. If anoperator is in the seat, a mobile base station may elect not to turn offcompletely and instead may elect to maintain power to one or more accessradios, in some embodiments.

Power messages may be obtained from the CAN Bus, including powerthreshold messages/load management messages. For example, certain CANbus implementations provide signals such as ignition power on, accessorypower only, essential power only, no power, etc. In some embodiments,the base station may communicate with a body control module (BCM), viathe CAN bus, to determine the state of the battery. The BCM may performactive load shedding to rehabilitate the state of the battery when thebattery is in a low charge state. The base station may communicate withthe BCM in the low charge state, by receiving BCM messages broadcastover the CAN bus. In some embodiments, such as in electric vehicles andhybrid electric vehicles with a sophisticated battery management system,the base station may communicate with the battery management system inaddition to or in place of communication with a BCM. A mobile basestation according to this disclosure may interoperate with thesemessages and can turn off functionality as needed in an orderly fashion.In some embodiments, communications with a battery control or batterymanagement system may be over a broadcast message medium, apoint-to-point message medium, or another message medium.

In some embodiments, a mobile base station may be installed in a vehiclewith load shedding functions built into its electrical system. Themobile base station may monitor load so that, e.g., non-essentialfunctions are turned off when load increases (such as when power-hungrylights are on, etc.). A load shedding system interfaces with a loadmonitoring system and is configured to power off non-essential systemswhen battery voltage is low, to meet electrical demands of otherequipment, and so on. In some embodiments, the mobile base station maybe connected to the load shedding system via the vehicle CAN bus, andmay send messages via the CAN bus to request to remain powered on whenpowering off nonessential systems. The mobile base station may alsoreceive power down notifications from the CAN bus and may be configuredto reduce its power usage in an orderly fashion. In some embodiments,the mobile base station may turn off its access radios first before itsbackhaul radios. In some embodiments, the mobile base station may turnoff first its Wi-Fi access radio, then its mesh access radio, then itsLTE access radio, before turning off its LTE backhaul radio. In someembodiments, the sequence of radios to be turned off may beconfigurable. In some embodiments, timers used by the mobile basestation, such as for the runlock features of the mobile base station,may be reset based on received CAN bus messages. In some embodiments,certain functionality of the mobile base station may be tagged oridentified as essential (e.g., LTE backhaul) or non-essential (e.g.,Wi-Fi access radio, which is not necessarily needed to provide networkaccess to a police laptop in a vehicle configured with a hard-wirednetwork connection to a network switch in the vehicle). All timersdescribed herein may be configurable, including the runlock timerdescribed in this paragraph.

As described above, a mobile base station may interoperate with arunlock functionality of a vehicle. When runlock is engaged, a vehiclemay be configured to provide access while the ignition is off, just likethe vehicle provides lights and radios in runlock mode. In someembodiments, this may be done using an existing runlock timer. Forexample, if a timer is engaged on the ignition circuit providing runlockfunctionality for all equipment on the ignition circuit, this may beused by the mobile base station. In other embodiments, thisfunctionality may be enabled specifically for the mobile base stationusing a battery or other functionality. A configurable timer may be usedto ensure that, for example, power to the mobile base station continuesfor 30 min after ignition is cut. After the timer runs out, the basestation may additionally make a determination in software to remainpowered on, such as if the mobile base station is aware that userdevices are still connected to the base station. The base station may beconfigured to start a runlock mode when all users have disconnected, ormay be configured to add time to the timer if, when the timer reacheszero, a user is still connected.

In some embodiments, the runlock timer may be set to, for example, tenminutes, thirty minutes, one hour, or another period of time. In someembodiments, when a vehicle event occurs, the timer may be set. Forexample, when the ignition is turned off, the timer may be set to tenminutes from the present time. Once the timer expires, thevehicle-mounted base station may be turned off, or may turn itself off,or may request to be turned off. Before the timer expires, thevehicle-mounted base station may reset the timer based on one or morevehicle events. For example, if a door is opened, the vehicle-mountedbase station may reset the timer, as a user is either exiting the car orreentering the car, and may wish to use the vehicle-mounted base stationfor more time. For some events, a continued active state may be used toreset the timer. For example, if a squad car's exterior emergency lightsremain on, the powered-on state of the lights may be used to reset thetimer. A battery low state may result in the timer being reset to zeroand the mobile base station determining that it should turn itself off,in some embodiments.

In some embodiments, the vehicle-mounted base station may monitor theCAN bus or other bus, may monitor vehicle state and/or battery state,and may maintain the runlock timer using this information. Thevehicle-mounted base station may use the timer to provide warnings torelevant users of when the vehicle-mounted base station will be poweredoff. In some embodiments, the runlock state of other devices, such asemergency lights or dashcam, may be used to determine whether the mobilebase station should be powered off.

In some embodiments, always-on power may be used. Certain featuresbenefit from being powered even when the rest of the base station ispowered off. For example, base stations require high-quality timingsignals to maintain sync with macro base stations. Typically,oven-controlled sync crystal oscillators can be used for this task.However, such crystals operate within a particular temperature range,and thus need to warm up to adequate temperature before being used.Always-on power may be used to heat a crystal oven so that when the basestation is activated, sync is immediately available. Crystal oscillatorovens require very little power, and may be powered by a battery over aperiod of hours or days without the battery requiring to be recharged.

In some embodiments, shore power may be used. Shore power is power thatis provided via plugging into a garaging facility, such as for emergencyvehicles or boats. Shore power allows emergency vehicles such asambulances and fire engines, which have a large quantity of power-hungryequipment, to keep their equipment powered on without draining thevehicle battery. When shore power is available, a mobile base stationmay be enabled indefinitely to activate certain features. Detection ofshore power may be performed by monitoring the CAN bus, by monitoringvehicle circuit voltage, or via another means. When shore power isdisconnected, the mobile base station may perform an orderly shutdown.

In some embodiments, a mobile base station may monitor non-electricalaspects of vehicle state and use this information for power management.For example, the mobile base station may automatically turn off LTEaccess when the vehicle is driven above a particular speed, or thevehicle drives away from a particular location using accelerometer orGPS. The mobile base station may interact with other vehicles and useother vehicle state for power management as well. For example, ifmultiple base stations are meshed together at a disaster site, with onemobile base station providing the backhaul for the other base stations,the backhauling node may identify when it is being driven away and mayrequire another mesh node to provide backhaul capacity. Or, as anotherexample, a mesh node can request that its backhaul node continue to stayactive. A node that is providing access to UEs or mesh nodes may electto stay active, in some embodiments. Each vehicle can report its voltagelevel to others, so that multiple mesh nodes that are close together canhand off base station responsibilities to other nodes as necessary whenbattery is depleted. One vehicle can act as a master, others as slaves,in some embodiments.

In some embodiments, the accelerometer status of other vehicles may beused to perform coordination as described. For example, a mobile basestation may turn itself on to full power when the vehicle is stopped,reduced power while the vehicle is in motion, and turned off when thevehicle is stopped and located at the vehicle's home berth, e.g., apolice station.

In some embodiments, geofencing may be used to control power state ofthe mobile base station. For example, e.g., around police station, amobile base station may not need to activate its access radios, as allpersonnel in the area may alraedy have access using the base stations inthe police station. GPS information may be used to trigger the geofence.Configuration of the geofence may be performed remotely, in someembodiments, and may be based on proximity via GPS. A GPS antenna may beprovided in conjunction with the mobile base station, with aroof-mounted antenna connected electrically to the mobile base station.The GPS antenna may also provide information about proximity to othervehicles, in some embodiments. In another embodiment, monitoring signallevels may be used instead of or in conjunction with a geofence, so thatpower is not used for turning on access radios when other signals areactive. Geofencing may be useful, for example, when a shift changecauses many vehicles to return to the station, or when vehicles reach amaintenance facility where coverage enhancement may typically not berequired. In some embodiments, access radios may be turned off whenother vehicles are reported to be within a particular GPS radius, or allradios but the backhaul and mesh radios may be turned off in suchinstances.

In some embodiments, an operator may be provided various informationabout the mobile base station and may be given the ability to performpower control, including all of the various information described hereinused for determination of the mobile base station's power state. As aspecific example, an LED signal meter may be installed in the dashboardof the vehicle, in some embodiments, and configured to provide a visualindicator of signal strength in the current area using a stacked LEDdisplay with, for example, red, amber, and green colored indicators, orsignal bars such as shown on mobile handsets. Signal strength may showthe strength of a macro cell's coverage in the area. When the visualindicator shows little or no signal, the vehicle operator may choose toactivate the mobile base station access radio for auxiliary coverage,using a power button next to the LED signal meter in the dash. In someembodiments, a faceplate may be provided in the dashboard with a stackedLED signal meter and a power switch. In some embodiments, a touch screenor button-driven interface to the mobile base station may be provided inthe dashboard. In some embodiments, control of the mobile base stationmay be enabled by a software integration into an existing tablet ortouch screen device of the vehicle.

In some embodiments, a wake-on-LAN or wake-on-access functionality maybe provided, such that a mobile base station may wait for a mobiledevice to connect to it, for example to a low-power access signal, andmay then turn on its primary functionality, including access radios. Insome embodiments, a mobile base station may require cooling; in suchinstances, the mobile base station may turn on, turn off, maintain orotherwise control fan power or air conditioning power to ensure adequatecooling in addition to its own power load.

Handling of low-power situations may include, in some embodiments,monitoring power level and determining that the vehicle battery isdrained. If a vehicle has been parked and has been running in a runlockmode, i.e., without the engine running, the battery may reach a drainedstate. This may occur if, for example, the mobile base station isproviding wireless coverage to a disaster site for a prolonged period oftime, or if a higher radio power level is being used to increase signalcoverage or building penetration distance. The vehicle power controllermay send out an indicator message via the CAN bus, and the mobile basestation may, in some embodiments, take one or more of the followingactions. The mobile base station may initiate an audible or visual alertto the vehicle operator, instructing the operator to turn on the engine.The mobile base station may send an alert to a mobile device or morethan one mobile device, for example, to the mobile devices attached tothe mobile base station. The mobile base station may enter into a powershedding mode, reducing power draw by reducing power output or turningoff radios and functionality that are not currently in use. In somecases the mobile base station may be enabled to cause the vehicle toturn on the vehicle ignition, thereby charging the battery and enablingcontinued operation.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a mesh network of vehicle-mounted basestations, in accordance with some embodiments. Macro cell 101 providesLTE backhaul to in-vehicle base station 102, which is in an emergencyvehicle. Base stations 103 and 104 are also mounted in emergencyvehicles and are meshed to base station 102. Mobile base station 103provides LTE access to user 105, who is at disaster site 106; service touser 105 is backhauled by mobile base station 102 and macro cell 101.Mobile base station 103 may be in a runlock mode, with its ignition off,and may keep its LTE access radio on until its battery is drained, afterwhich it may request that mobile base station 104 provide service touser 105. Base station 102 may similarly be running in a runlock mode,and may remain active as long as necessary to provide backhaul to user105. If power runs out for more than one vehicle and service becomesunavailable, user 105 may receive a notification, or the operators ofeach mobile vehicle may be notified to turn their vehicles on torecharge batteries in the vehicles. Elsewhere, a police station 107 issurrounded by geofence 108, based on GPS coordinates. When vehicles 102,103, 104 enter inside the geofence, the in-vehicle base stations in thevehicles are configured to turn off automatically, as sufficient signalis available in the area near the police station. Activation of thevehicle radios is enabled outside the geofenced area.

FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram of electrical connections for avehicle-mounted base station, in accordance with some embodiments.Circuit diagram 200 shows battery 201, which powers the vehicle,connected to accessory circuit 202, always-on circuit 203, ignitioncircuit 205, voltage regulator 206 and alternator 207 before connectingto ground 208 (e.g., the vehicle chassis). The voltage regulator andalternator serve to recharge the battery when the motor 205 b is on.When the motor is on, the voltage of the system is slightly higher thanthe voltage of the battery, as a result of the alternator, resulting inthe battery regaining charge.

Accessory circuit includes fuses 202 a, and lights 202 b that areconnected via a fuse. Lights 202 b are connected to the vehicle chassis,completing the circuit. Lights 202 b are available when the vehicle isturned off, but require the car's ignition key to be turned to theaccessory position (or, if a push-button start mechanism is used, anaccessory position of the push-button starter). In some vehicles, theaccessory circuit is activated whenever the key is in the ignition andturned past the accessory position, so that equipment on the accessorycircuit, such as the radio and environmental heater are able to beturned on when the ignition is on as well as when the ignition is offand the key is in the accessory position.

Always-on circuit 203 includes fuses 203 a, and a connection 204 tomobile base station (Parallel Wireless Converged Wireless System (CWS))205 d. CWS 205 d has a connection to vehicle ground 208, completing thecircuit. Mobile base station 205 d may use always-on circuit 203 toprovide a small amount of power to certain functions of the basestation, such as maintaining volatile memory, maintaining a clock,maintaining a temperature of an oven-controlled oscillator, etc.

Ignition circuit 205 includes ignition switch 205 a, which requires thekey to be turned to the ignition position before closing the circuit.The ignition circuit is coupled to engine 205 b to start the engine, notshown is the engine starter, which may be different in differentvehicles. The ignition circuit is also coupled to fuses 205 c. Each itemconnected to the ignition circuit typically has its own fuse, and one ofthese items is CWS 205 d, configured as shown to be powered primarily bythe ignition circuit while the vehicle is turned on. Although a runlockcircuit is not shown, an additional battery connection is required inorder to enable CWS 205 d to run when the ignition is off. Button 205 elocated on the dashboard connects to switch 205 f, enabling manualcontrol of the power of CWS 205 d. In some embodiments, a softwareswitch may be used instead of the hardware switch 205 f shown. CWS 205 dcontrols dashboard LEDs 205 g, which show signal level of macro coveragein the vicinity; this is based on signals received from a UE modemresident within CWS 205 d. Dash LEDs 205 g and CWS 205 d are connectedto ground 208.

FIG. 3 is a voltage plot over time of a voltage in a vehicle electricalcircuit, in accordance with some embodiments. Voltage plot 300 shows thestate of voltage over time in a typical vehicle system. At state t0(301), voltage is zero (308) and the vehicle electrical system is turnedoff. In reality a very small voltage is present in the system andcurrent is being drawn by equipment on the always-on electrical circuit.At state t1 (302), an operator of the vehicle turns the key in theignition to the accessory position, which connects the battery to theaccessory connection and which causes voltage to rapidly rise to a highlevel, here 13 V (311). This level is higher than the level found whenthe vehicle is operating, and measurement of the voltage can be used todetermine that the system is in an accessory voltage state. Next, attime t2 (303), the mobile operator turns the key to the ignitionposition, which leads to a drop in voltage to 8 V (309). 8 V is too lowfor operation of most of the equipment in the vehicle, including thein-vehicle base station. It is worth noting that, for small values oft2−t1, it is desirable to avoid booting the in-vehicle base station andthen immediately turning it off as a result of triggering the ignition.A method for avoiding this scenario will be shown in FIG. 4.

The engine starter is shown as keeping the voltage at 8 V (309) untiltime t3 (304). At this time, the ignition is now on, and power risesback to 12 V (310) at time t4 (305). This is the normal operatingvoltage of the vehicle. The base station may be activated at will orautomatically at this time. Since the ignition is on, the alternatorcauses the voltage to slowly rise above 12 V.

At time t5 (306), the vehicle operator stops the engine. In some casesrunlock mode may be active, and electrical systems such as lights anddashcams, as well as any mobile base station radios, may continue to beactive for a set time as determined by the runlock timer configuration.Since the engine is no longer running, the voltage of the system rapidlydrops until it reaches a low voltage threshold at time t6 (307). At theconfigured low voltage threshold, power management systems may sendmessages via a CAN bus to cause the mobile base station to shut down, orin some embodiments, the mobile base station may monitor the systemvoltage and identify for itself when it should shut down.

FIG. 4 is a state diagram of power management states in a powermanagement unit for a vehicle-mounted base station, in accordance withsome embodiments. The vehicle-mounted base station is connected to avehicle ignition circuit for power, and receives power when the key isin the ignition, including when the key is in the ignition state. Statediagram 400 shows six states characterizing the operation of a mobilebase station. Starting at state 401, when the ignition is off, the basestation may enter into any of: a shore power state 406; a cranking(i.e., ignition in process) state 403; and a second ignition off state402. From the second ignition off state 402, the choices are thecranking state 403 and the shore power state 406.

These states interoperate as follows. When a vehicle operator turns thekey in the ignition to the accessory state, power may flow to the mobilebase station, in some embodiments, causing the mobile base station toturn on and enter state ignition off 1 401. However, the operator may ormay not immediately turn the key to the ignition position. In the casethat the key is not turned to the ignition immediately, and anactivation timer expires (here shown as 30 seconds), a transition ismade from state 401 to state 402. The mobile base station may take notethat the electrical environment of the vehicle has not changed inseveral seconds, perhaps suggesting that the operator intends to turn onthe mobile base station with the key in the accessory position. Themobile base station may thus permit itself to be turned on. Thisprevents the mobile base station turning itself on in the split secondbetween when a vehicle operator turns a key through the accessoryposition in one motion to the ignition position, and then having to dealwith a drop in voltage from 12 V to 8 V as a result of the starter motorbeing engaged.

If the ignition is engaged, the mobile base station may identify that itis in a cranking state 403, which may result either in the ignitionbeing turned off, with a return to state 401, or the ignition beingturned on, with a transition to state 404. The mobile base station mayturn on when state 404 is reached. Alternately, cranking state 403 mayalso exit to shore power state 406. Ignition on state 404 only has oneoutward transition, to off state 405, leading to a graceful shutdown ofthe base station while the ignition goes off. Battery power or capacitorbackup power sufficient to perform an orderly shutdown may be madeavailable, in some embodiments.

If shore power is active and state 406 is entered, the mobile basestation will be turned on regardless of the state of the vehicleignition.

FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram of a controller area network (CAN) bus in avehicle, in accordance with some embodiments. CAN bus 500 is shown withCANH high voltage line 501 a and CANL low voltage line 501 b. Thevoltage difference between CANH 501 a and CANL 501 b is maintained byterminating resistors 501 c and 501 d, one at each end of the CAN bus,each with resistance RL. Devices connected to the CAN bus connect toCANH 501 a and CANL 501 b and measure the difference to send and receivemessages on the bus. Electronic control unit (ECU) 502, batterymanagement system (BMS) 503, Parallel Wireless Converged Wireless System(CWS) 504, and arbitrary CAN node N 505 are connected to the CAN bus.

ECU 502 is one of the primary controllers in the vehicle, and sends andreceives control messages to other nodes on the CAN bus, such as opendoor messages, key in ignition messages, and so on. ECU 502 hasmicrocontroller 502 a, which includes CAN control circuit 502 b; CANcontrol circuit 502 b is connected to CAN transceiver 502 c, which hastwo electrical connections to CANH 501 a and CANL 501 b. ECU 502 sendsmessages to CWS 504 that are used in power control of CWS 504, and CWS504 may send requests to ECU 502 to request ignition to be started, etc.

BMS 503 is the controller that monitors battery state, and providesuseful information to CWS 504, such as: battery low; battery high;battery fault. BMS 503 has microcontroller 503 a, which includes CANcontrol circuit 503 b; CAN control circuit 503 b is connected to CANtransceiver 503 c, which has two electrical connections to CANH 501 aand CANL 501 b.

CWS 504 is the mobile base station described elsewhere herein, and maysend and receive messages to and from the other modules on the CAN bus.ECU 504 has microcontroller 504 a, which includes CAN control circuit504 b; CAN control circuit 504 b is connected to CAN transceiver 504 c,which has two electrical connections to CANH 501 a and CANL 501 b.

Other nodes, such as CAN node N 505, may be on the CAN bus. For example,a dash button for controlling CWS 504 may have its own node on the CANbus. Each node typically has certain components that have the sameinternal structure. Node 505 has microcontroller 505 a, which includesCAN control circuit 505 b; CAN control circuit 505 b is connected to CANtransceiver 505 c, which has two electrical connections to CANH 501 aand CANL 501 b.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart 600 of a method for handling changes to a vehiclepower state, in accordance with some embodiments. At step 601, the basestation may monitor the CAN bus for power down messages, runlockmessages, battery voltage low messages, or other messages. If a messageis received, it may pass to step 604. Concurrently, at step 602, thebase station may monitor GPS location to determine if shutdown isappropriate. If the location changes and the base station has enteredinto a location where it should shut down, control passes to step 604.Concurrently, a voltage sensor at step 603 may monitor the incomingelectrical voltage of the system. If the vehicle shows a low voltage,control may go to step 604. Each of steps 601, 602, and 603 may executeas interrupt-driven loops that wake up from time to time and checkwhether an appropriate message has been received, so that the system ismade aware as soon as an appropriate message is received.

At step 604, a determination may be made at the mobile base station thatit is appropriate to shut the base station down, based on criteria fromsteps 601, 602, or 603. An orderly shutdown list is configured in thebase station. For example, the base station may be configured to shutdown unused access radios first, then in-use access radios, thenbackhaul radios. A final determination of what services and functionsshould be shut down is performed at this step, and control passes tostep 605. Different inputs to step 604 may also be contemplated, asdescribed elsewhere herein.

At step 605, depending on the services selected to be shut down, anorderly shutdown occurs of each service or functionality. For example,connected users may be detached or handed over. Mesh nodes relying onthis base station for backhaul or access may be directed to another meshnode. A cloud coordination server may be informed that this node isgoing offline. This completes the orderly shutdown process.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart 700 of a method for activating a vehicle-mountedbase station, in accordance with some embodiments. At step 701, the basestation is powered on. At step 702, the base station immediately mayactivate its mesh radio and check for meshable nodes. The base stationmay also, at step 703, identify the power management state of thesystem. In the case that a meshable node is discovered at step 702, thebase station now has a backhaul connection via the mesh to aconfiguration server, or is able to receive a configuration from itsmesh peer. The base station may proceed to step 705 a.

If there are no mesh nodes available, the base station may proceed tostep 704, where the base station may activate its built-in LTE userequipment (UE) modem. The UE may be used to attempt to connect to an LTEmacro cell for backhaul. If an LTE macro cell is available, controlpasses to step 705 a.

At step 705 a, the base station now has an active, valid backhaulconnection. The base station uses the backhaul connection to obtain aconfiguration from a configuration gateway server, or failing this,obtains a configuration from a mesh peer, or failing this, obtains aconfiguration from its own cache. Control passes to step 706.

If, by contrast, if no backhaul LTE macro cell is available, the basestation may use its LTE UE modem to perform radio sniffing of its localenvironment. By doing so it may determine, for example, that no LTEaccess is available, or that many LTE cells from another operator arecrowding the local spectrum area, or another situation. Based on itsidentification of neighboring cells, including mesh or macro cells, themobile base station may configure itself with power levels appropriatefor potentially activating LTE access. Control passes to step 706.

At step 706, the base station determines whether or not to activate LTEaccess for UEs, based on its configuration, its local RF environment,its power management state, or some combination thereof. If conditionschange, such as the ignition key changing the power management state, atstep 707 the mobile base station gracefully powers down.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a vehicle-mounted base station (orin-vehicle base station), in accordance with some embodiments. Mobilebase station 800 includes processor 801 and broadband processor (BBP)802, which may share memory 803 or may use separate memory. Processor801 is coupled to CAN bus module 805 and power control module 804.Processor 801 is also coupled to GPS 806. BBP 802 is coupled to firstradio module 807, which here is a Wi-Fi module, and second radio module808, which here as shown is a 4G/LTE module. Different radio modules,including different radio access technologies, different frequencybands, different modulation schemes, and different numbers of radiomodules, may be present in some embodiments. These modules may beswappable to be compatible with different geographies' requirements asneeded.

Power control module 804 performs power control evaluation functions asdescribed elsewhere herein. Power control module 804 may be a softwaremodule, a hardware module, or a combination thereof. Power controlmodule may execute on processor 801, in some embodiments. Power controlmodule 804 may receive information from other modules, for example CANbus module 805, and may use this information to make power controldecisions. Power control module 804 may use interface 804 a tocommunicate with the battery, or to, e.g., a switch on the dashboard ora direct voltage sampling connection to the electrical system of thevehicle.

CAN bus module 805, which may be connected via a USB interface, allowsprocessor 801 to receive CAN bus messages from the CAN bus it isconnected to via connectors 805 a. Processor 801 then decides whetherthe messages are relevant for power control or for another purpose. Ifrelevant for power control, the messages are fed back to power controlmodule 804.

GPS module 806 may connect to GPS antenna 806 a, which may be located onthe exterior of the roof of the vehicle. GPS module 806 may thenidentify the location of the vehicle and may then pass this on toprocessor 801, which may use the location for various purposes.

Wi-Fi module 807 may connect to Wi-Fi RF chain 807 a, which may includeantennas, amplifiers and filters. Wi-Fi module 807 may be used formeshing, for access within the vehicle by wireless devices, for accessoutside of the vehicle by mobile devices, or for connecting deviceswithin the vehicle's own network, such as connecting a button on thedash to the power control module. LTE module 808 may also include an RFchain 808 a, including antennas, amplifiers, and filters.

Further Embodiments

In some embodiments, a mobile device, such as a tablet, a laptop, or asmartphone, may be equipped with a software application for controllingthe vehicle-mounted base station. The vehicle-mounted base station mayallow the application to connect over IP to configure variousparameters, such as: specification of which vehicle events may be used;specific timer values; geofencing locations, as further described below;or other parameters. The vehicle-mounted base station may allow onlycertain mobile devices to connect, for example by using password-based,SIM-based, IMSI-based, or local connection-based security.

In some embodiments, the vehicle-mounted base station may, uponconnecting to the network, permit a properly-authenticated remotedevice, such as a cloud coordination server, to control the parametersdescribed herein, such as: specification of which vehicle events may beused; specific timer values; geofencing locations, as further describedbelow; or other parameters. As the vehicle-mounted base station ispresumably in communication with access controllers and/or a mobile corenetwork, the vehicle-mounted base station may provide access to andremote management of its parameters. The vehicle-mounted base stationmay upload and/or download its configuration to/from the cloudcoordination server.

In some embodiments, the vehicle-mounted base station may provide anoverride instruction to remain on until the battery is exhausted, oruntil another specific condition occurs.

In some embodiments, the vehicle-mounted base station may include asecondary radio receiver providing limited functionality, and optionallyits own battery, so that it may provide wake-on-LAN functionality. Forexample, the vehicle-mounted base station may listen for connections andmay permit a mobile device to activate the base station, even if thevehicle itself is powered off. This may be useful when a police officeris outside the vehicle and determines that it is desirable to activatethe vehicle-mounted base station.

In some embodiments, the power on/off behavior of the vehicle-mountedbase station may be adjusted based on the power level of the vehiclebattery. It is known that the CAN bus sends out power levels over thebus. Based on different power levels, the vehicle-mounted base stationmay extend its timer, or may use no timer, or may use different vehicleevents to set/reset its timer.

In some embodiments, self-organizing network (SON) capabilities ofvehicle-mounted base stations may be enhanced. For example, for twosquad cars, if the first car's battery drops below a battery threshold,the second car's battery may have a higher charge level. Thevehicle-mounted base stations in each of the two squad cars maycontinuously monitor both vehicles' battery levels and may coordinatepower-off of the first car's base station and power-on of the secondcar's base station. In some embodiments, coordination may occur at orvia a cloud coordination server. In some embodiments, when handoffs areexpected, as in this case, the first car's base station may hand off itsconnections to the second base station.

Further embodiments may be contemplated as well. For example, ifmultiple squad cars arrive at a scene, all but one of the cars'vehicle-mounted base stations may turn themselves off. As anotherexample, if multiple squad cars are present at a scene, with one of thecars providing base station capability for the other cars, thevehicle-mounted base stations in each of the cars may coordinate so thatif one vehicle or multiple vehicles move away from the scene, basestation capability is still provided by one of the remaining vehicles.Handoffs may also be supported. As another example, multiple squad carsmay be supported by Wi-Fi link, with only one vehicle-mounted basestation powered on.

In some embodiments, vehicle events, and other events, may be monitoredfor more than one vehicle. This can be useful when, for example, a firstsquad car may be providing base station capability for several othersquad cars in the area, or for officers who have exited the squad car.In such a situation, all other base stations connected to the firstsquad car's vehicle-mounted base station, and all mobile devicesconnected to the first squad car's vehicle-mounted base station, may beinstructed to forward vehicle events or other events to thevehicle-mounted base station so that, for example, if a second squad carpulls up and connects to the first squad car's vehicle-mounted basestation, an active state of the second squad car's lights may be used toreset the timer. As another example, if a police officer is downloadingdata, even though the car has been powered off, the police officer'smobile device remains active, and the active state may be used to causethe vehicle-mounted base station to remain on.

Increasing and decreasing power levels may also be supported. Forexample, if two vehicles are driving toward each other, thevehicle-mounted base stations may determine that interference isincreasing and reduce power.

In some embodiments, geofencing may be supported. Either a connectedmobile device with GPS capability, or a GPS-enabled vehicle-mounted basestation, or other GPS or location-sending functionality may be used toenable geofencing. In some embodiments, a vehicle-mounted base stationin a police squad car may sense that it is at the police station, wherethe base station is not needed to be turned on, and may turn itself off.The base station may turn itself on when leaving the station. The basestation may reduce the timer interval rather than turning off, in someembodiments. In another embodiment, a vehicle-mounted base station maybe made aware that it is en route to a particular geographic location,for example by a 911 dispatcher with location information. Thevehicle-mounted base station may turn itself on as soon as it comeswithin a configurable threshold distance of the destination.

In some embodiments, the base stations described herein may becompatible with a Long Term Evolution (LTE) radio transmission protocolor air interface. The LTE-compatible base stations may be eNodeBs. Inaddition to supporting the LTE protocol, the base stations may alsosupport other air interfaces, such as UMTS/HSPA, CDMA/CDMA2000,GSM/EDGE, GPRS, EVDO, other 3G/2G, legacy TDD, or other air interfacesused for mobile telephony. In some embodiments, the base stationsdescribed herein may support Wi-Fi air interfaces, which may include oneof 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ad/af/ah. In some embodiments, the base stationsdescribed herein may support 802.16 (WiMAX), or other air interfaces. Insome embodiments, the base stations described herein may provide accessto land mobile radio (LMR)-associated radio frequency bands. In someembodiments, the base stations described herein may also support morethan one of the above radio frequency protocols, and may also supporttransmit power adjustments for some or all of the radio frequencyprotocols supported.

The foregoing discussion discloses and describes merely exemplaryembodiments of the present invention. In some embodiments, softwarethat, when executed, causes a device to perform the methods describedherein may be stored on a computer-readable medium such as a computermemory storage device, a hard disk, a flash drive, an optical disc, orthe like. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, the presentinvention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing fromthe spirit or essential characteristics thereof. For example, wirelessnetwork topology can also apply to wired networks, optical networks, andthe like. The methods may apply to LTE-compatible networks, toUMTS-compatible networks, or to networks for additional protocols thatutilize radio frequency data transmission. Various components in thedevices described herein may be added, removed, or substituted withthose having the same or similar functionality. Various steps asdescribed in the figures and specification may be added or removed fromthe processes described herein, and the steps described may be performedin an alternative order, consistent with the spirit of the invention.Accordingly, the disclosure of the present invention is intended to beillustrative of, but not limiting of, the scope of the invention, whichis specified in the following claims.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A base station for providing dynamic powermanagement, comprising: a processor within an enclosure mounted in avehicle; a power management unit coupled to the processor; an automotivebus monitoring system coupled to the power management unit and to anautomotive bus of the vehicle; a voltage measurement module also coupledto the power management unit and to a battery of the vehicle; a basebandprocessor coupled to the processor; a first wireless accessfunctionality coupled to the baseband processor and providing access foruser devices via a gateway to another network; and a second wirelessaccess functionality coupled to the baseband processor, wherein thepower management unit is coupled to each of the first and the secondwireless access functionality, is configured to monitor the automotivebus via the automotive bus monitoring system and the battery via thevoltage measurement module, is configured to determine a power statebased on the automotive bus and the battery, and is configured to enablethe processor to coordinate access radio shutdown or graceful userdetach for the first or the second wireless access functionality basedon the power state being a low power state at the power management unit.2. The base station of claim 1, wherein the voltage measurement moduleis coupled to both of an always-on power circuit of the vehicle and anignition power circuit of the vehicle simultaneously.
 3. The basestation of claim 1, the power management unit further comprising a timerfor providing power to at least one of the first and second wirelessaccess functionalities after a drive component of the vehicle is turnedoff, thereby providing runlock functionality.
 4. The base station ofclaim 1, the power management unit further comprising instructions that,when executed on the processor, cause the power management unit to be inone of: a first state reflecting an accessory electrical mode of thevehicle, or an ignition on state reflecting an ignition on electricalmode of the vehicle.
 5. The base station of claim 4, the powermanagement unit further comprising instructions that, when executed onthe processor, cause the power management unit to be in one of a secondignition off state reflecting greater than a set period of inactivity inthe first state, a cranking state reflecting engagement of a starter ofthe vehicle, and a shore power state.
 6. The base station of claim 1,wherein the first wireless access functionality is one of either Wi-Fior Long Term Evolution (LTE) access functionalities and the secondwireless access functionality is an LTE access functionality.
 7. Thebase station of claim 1, wherein the base station utilizes directcurrent (DC) power.
 8. The base station of claim 1, wherein the basestation utilizes alternating current (AC) power, and further comprisesan inverter coupled to the battery of the vehicle, the inverterconfigured to return to a powered-on state after a transient faultwithout manual intervention.
 9. The base station of claim 1, furthercomprising a button located on a dashboard of the vehicle configured toturn the base station on when pressed.
 10. The base station of claim 1,further comprising a global positioning system (GPS) module and ageofencing module coupled to the GPS module and the processor, thegeofencing module being coupled to the power management module, thegeofencing module being for determining whether a given radio accesstechnology should be activated or deactivated based on a locationreceived from the GPS module, the GPS module being coupled to a GPSantenna mounted exterior to the vehicle.
 11. The base station of claim1, the power management unit further comprising a detector fordetermining whether shore power is being provided and for instructingthe power management unit to change its power management state.
 12. Thebase station of claim 1, the power management unit configured to usealways-on circuit power to maintain an approximate temperature of atemperature-controlled chamber of a crystal oscillator in the basestation.
 13. The base station of claim 1, wherein the first and thesecond wireless access functionalities are coupled to radio antennasexterior to the vehicle.
 14. The base station of claim 1, wherein theautomotive bus is a controller area network (CAN) bus, and wherein theCAN bus monitoring system is coupled to the base station via a UniversalSerial Bus (USB) port and to the CAN bus of the vehicle via an on-boarddiagnostic (ODB) port of the vehicle.
 15. The base station of claim 1,wherein the processor is configured to coordinate access radio bringupbased on the power state at the power management unit.
 16. The basestation of claim 1, wherein access radio shutdown comprises wirelessaccess functionality shutdown.
 17. A method for dynamic power managementof an in-vehicle base station, comprising: monitoring, at an in-vehiclebase station, a vehicle controller area network (CAN) bus of a vehiclefor power-related messages via a connection to the CAN bus; monitoring,at the in-vehicle base station, a positioning sensor to determine alocation of the vehicle; monitoring, at the in-vehicle base station, avoltage of an electrical circuit in the vehicle to determine a powermanagement state of the vehicle via an electrical connection to theelectrical circuit in the vehicle; and conducting, at the in-vehiclebase station, an orderly shutdown of radio frequency services for mobiledevices attached to a radio access network via the in-vehicle basestation based on the power-related messages, the location of thevehicle, and the power management state of the vehicle.
 18. The methodof claim 17, wherein the radio frequency services further comprise aWi-Fi access network and a Long Term Evolution (LTE) access network, andwherein the positioning sensor is a global positioning system (GPS)positioning sensor.
 19. The method of claim 17, wherein the orderlyshutdown further comprises detaching users, handing users over toanother base station, or updating a routing configuration of a meshnetwork.
 20. A method for bringup of an in-vehicle base station,comprising: powering on an in-vehicle base station in a vehicle;identifying, at the in-vehicle base station, a power management state ofthe vehicle; searching, at the in-vehicle base station, for mesh nodesto provide a connection for the base station; activating, at thein-vehicle base station, a Long Term Evolution (LTE) user equipment (UE)electrically coupled to the base station; attempting, at the in-vehiclebase station, to connect to an LTE network using the LTE UE; applying,at the in-vehicle base station, a configuration from a mesh node, an LTEnetwork, or a radio frequency environment discovered by the UE; andbased on the applied configuration and based on the power managementstate of the vehicle, determining at the in-vehicle base station whetherto activate a radio access network to permit mobile devices to connectto the LTE network.
 21. The method of claim 20, wherein the radiofrequency access network is an LTE access network or a Wi-Fi accessnetwork.